Scratch An Itch (June 2023)

you did it to scratch an itch

i did it to alleviate pain 

there’s nothing from my bony pale flesh you could possibly gain 

and when you peel yourself from the mattress in the dirty sheets i remain 

in juxtaposing coverlets, strung out yet gnarled in the shape of my brain 

and don’t you feel dirty?

because i sure feel used 

because my boyish demeanor is like some odd fetish to peruse 

i wont blame women from the sidewalk, i dish out my own abuse 

when i untape my chest i’m sure i seem like a ruse 

i’ll crawl to the door let me be excused 

if you keep me here my eyes will shoot from my sockets like a fuse 

after escapades like this i fill my bathtub with bleach 

i wring out my bones because i sucked you like a leech 

there’s a knick in your neck where i gnawed at it like a hound 

but this pooch can’t swim it may as well drown

next time we eat, can we do it in the dark?

i’ll let you undo the bandages on my ribs and i won’t bite or bark 

just promise no more dog fights in your car under a street light at the park 

you draw blood on my lips and smell it like a shark 

can we open the pack of marlboros in your center console when we’re done?

we can ruin our lungs under the moon because we missed the sun 

because we were in the backseat of your car feeling sweaty and shunned 

i skinned my finger on the tip of your nose then washed out my wounds with a gardening hose